The Proposal Class 10 Worksheet English Chapter 1

Q.1. How does Lomov speak warmly of Chubukov’s family in the beginning? Why does he change his stand?

In the beginning, Lomov speaks quite warmly about Chubukov’s family. He reminds Natalya that he knows the Chubukovs since his childhood. His aunt and uncle to had great respect for her family. Both the families have been most friendly and close neighbours. Lomov changes his opinion about the Chubukovs when he picks up a quarrel with Natalya and Chubukov over the ownership of Oxen Meadows.

Q.2. Justify the title of the play. ‘The Proposal’ Or What is the theme or the message of ‘The Proposal’?

Anton Chekov has aptly titled the play, ‘The Proposal’. The title justifies the main theme—the marriage of Natalya and Lomov. No doubt, both Lomov and Natalya want to be life partners. However,unnecessary quarrels over Oxen Meadows and their dogs Squeezer and Guess temporarily spoil their game. The message is very clear. The main issue must not be clouded and lost sight of by indulging in unnecessary and avoidable quarrels.

Q.3. Why is Lomov anxious to marry Natalya?

Lomov wants to settle the question of his marriage at once. He thinks that now he should not delay. He thinks about Natalya. She is a skilled house-keeper. She is educated and is not bad to look at. At this age, he should not expect a better girl than her. He is suffering from some serious diseases.Because of these reasons. He is anxious to marry Natalya.

Q.4. Describe Lomov’s first meeting with Natalya.

Lomov goes to his neighbour Chubukov’s house to ask for the hand of his daughter Natalya. He is in a fix how to make the marriage proposal. He talks in a roundabout manner. He makes a mention of his meadows which touch their birchwoods. At this, a quarrel ensues between them over the ownership rights the meadows.

Q.5. Describe the incidents of humour in the play, ‘The Proposal’?

‘The Proposal’ is certainly a humorous play. The very entry of Lomov in a formal I dress and the way Chubukov greets calling him ‘darling’, ‘my treasure’ or ‘my beauty’ make one laugh. Marriage proposal, supposed to be romantic turns to be humorous as the way Natalya and Lomov indulge in arguments over petty issues like ownership of Oxen Meadows and superiority of dogs makes the play humorous. The critical terms that the characters I use for each other like a scarecrow, turnip ghost, blind hen, stuffed sausage, etc., force one to laugh. The hysterical fit of Natalya when she comes to know about the proposal and the wailing of father and daughter when they think Lomov is dead create immense humour. Finally, the way Natalya puts her hand in Loom’s under continuous arguments indicating acceptance of the proposal is really humorous. Thus we see that the whole play is replete with humour, making it a humorous play.

Q.6. Chubukov has all the attributes of a quarrelsome rich Russian landlord. Instead of solving the problems, he only adds fuel into the fire in their quarrel over Oxen Meadows and the dogs. Justify the statement.

Chubukov represents a typical rich landlord of 19th century Russia. He seems to be fairly rich and resourceful. Even his neighbour Lornov acknowledges the frequent help rendered to him by Chubukov. He lands his threshing machine to Lomov. On account of this help, he has to put off their own threshing till November. Chubukov is quite practical. He knows that Lomov can be a good match for his daughter Natalya. So, he at once gives his assent to Lomov’s proposal of marrying her. Actually, he has been waiting for such a proposal for a long time. Chubukov is a landlord and can’t resist his hunger for land. He opposes the claim of Lomov over the ownership of Oxen Meadows. He even threatens to send his mowers out to the Meadows.
Chubukov can be quite quarrelsome, abusing and insulting. He always sides with his daughter. He picks up a quarrel on Oxen Meadows. He calls Lomov “a land grabber” and “villain”. He abuses his grandfather of being a “drunkard” and his father a ‘gambler’. He jumps into the quarrel and adds only fuel to the fire. However, Chubukov is a great opportunity. He grabs the opportunity the moment Lomov comes into the senses. He makes Natalya kiss and embrace Lomov and gets them married. 

Q.7. What does Chubukov say to Lomov about his being a hunter?

Chubukov says that Lomov is not a hunter. He says that Lomov should sit at home with his palpitations instead of tracking animals. He says that Lomov only goes to argue with people and interfere with their dogs.

Q.8. What do you learn about Natalya from the play, 'The Proposal'?

Natalya is the only daughter of the landowner Chubukov. Though well educated, she does not use her education wisely and thoughtfully. She is a short-tempered lady who quarrels with everyone. She always pinpoints the amount of help she offers to her neighbours.  Also, she is very possessive about her land and is very determined not to part with it.

Q.9. What other controversial argument arose between Lomov and Natalya? Discuss.

Apart from the Oxen Meadows, the other argument was about the dogs namely Guess and Squeezer. Lomov said that his dog Guess had become lame since his leg had been bitten by some dog. He had purchased that first-rate dog for 125 roubles from Mironov, but Natalya pointed out that her Squeezer was better than Guess. Squeezer had been purchased for 85 roubles. Lomov could not contain himself. He immediately said that Squeezer was an overshot i.e. it was a bad hunter. He also said that his lower jaw was shorter than the upper one. To this, Natalya remarked that Guess was old, ugly and a worn-out cab-horse. Both of them had a serious argument over whose dog was more superior.

Q.10. Give a character sketch of Lomov.

Lomov was a funny man. He was physically weak but financially secure. He was suffering from palpitation. He behaved as if he were eccentric. He was a pretentious, proud, self-serving, argumentative, impetuous and hysterical hypochondriac. He was socially awkward and prone to anxiety attacks. He was not particularly romantic, and his proposal had more to do with the economic advantages of combining the families' adjacent properties than with any particular degree of love for Natalya or with the desire to get married. He was regressive in his thoughts. It was evident from his attitude towards marrying Natalya. He wanted to marry her not because he was in love with her but because he thought that she was beautiful and a good-housekeeper. But when he went to propose to her, he got diverted. Actually, a quarrel took place between them as Natalya thought that he had come to claim Oxen Meadows as his own. They quarrelled over petty issues one more time. This reflected that he was short-tempered also. He fainted before finally proposing to her and shouted a lot after that. This reflected that he was confused and less confident. But he finally succeeded to get acceptance.